An Assessment of Prisoner Reentry, Legal Financial Obligations and Family Financial Support: A Focus on Fathers

Scholars have found that family support is an important facilitator of successful reentry from prison to the community. At the same time, they have argued that owing court-ordered fines or fees, also called legal financial obligations (LFOs), can act as an additional barrier to reentry, especially for parents. There remains a need to test how LFOs impact the financial support formerly incarcerated parents receive from their families. The current study responds to this gap by employing logistic regression analyses of the Serious and Violent Offender Reentry Initiative (SVORI) data to test whether owing court fees is associated with formerly incarcerated fathers’ (1) perceptions of available financial support from family and (2) receipt of financial support from family. We find that owing court fees is not associated with perceptions of available financial support. However, owing court fees has a positive, statistically significant association with receiving financial support from family during the first three months after prison release. This relationship remains after accounting for whether the person owes child support or sees their children monthly. Our results suggest that LFOs may create a greater need for financial support among formerly incarcerated fathers, making the financial challenges of reentry a consequence not just for those who were incarcerated but for their loved ones as well.

Social Support and Attachment to Pets Moderate the Association between Sexual and Gender Minority Status and the Likelihood of Delaying or Avoiding COVID-19 Testing

Sexual and gender minority individuals (SGM) face barriers to accessing COVID-19 testing and treatment services. Living with pets may pose an additional barrier due to concerns about pet welfare. This study investigates whether the relation between SGM status and the likelihood of delaying or avoiding testing and treatment for COVID-19 varies as a function of attachment to pets and social support. Our sample consisted of 1453 adults (Mage = 39.4 years, 12.6% racial/ethnic minority; 21.8% SGM). We conducted simple and additive multiple moderation analyses to investigate the moderating effect of attachment to pets and social support on the relation between SGM status and the likelihood of delaying or avoiding COVID-19 testing or treatment. Attachment to pets moderated the association between SGM status and the likelihood of delaying or avoiding COVID-19 testing in the simple (β = 0.82, Z = 2.09, p = 0.04) and additive multiple moderation analyses (β = 0.82, Z = 2.05, p = 0.04). SGM participants were more likely than non-SGM participants to report that they would delay or avoid testing when they reported high attachment to their pet (β = 0.75, OR = 2.11, Z = 2.51, p = 0.01) and low (β = 0.75, OR = 2.12, Z = 2.48, p = 0.01) or moderate (β = 0.73, OR = 2.08, Z = 2.14, p = 0.03) levels of social support.

Angiocrine Regulation of Epithelial Barrier Integrity in Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Inflammatory bowel disease describes chronic inflammatory disorders. The incidence of the disease is rising. A major step in disease development is the breakdown of the epithelial cell barrier. Numerous blood vessels are directly located underneath this barrier. Diseased tissues are heavily vascularized and blood vessels significantly contribute to disease progression. The gut-vascular barrier (GVB) is an additional barrier controlling the entry of substances into the portal circulation and to the liver after passing the first epithelial barrier. The presence of the GVB rises the question, whether the vascular and endothelial barriers may communicate bi-directionally in the regulation of selective barrier permeability. Communication from epithelial to endothelial cells is well-accepted. In contrast, little is known on the respective backwards communication. Only recently, perfusion-independent angiocrine functions of endothelial cells were recognized in a way that endothelial cells release specific soluble factors that may directly act on the epithelial barrier. This review discusses the putative involvement of angiocrine inter-barrier communication in the pathogenesis of IBD.

Potential application of novel technology developed for instant decontamination of personal protective equipment before the doffing step

The use of personal protective equipment (PPE) has been considered the most effective way to avoid the contamination of healthcare workers by different microorganisms, including SARS-CoV-2. A spray disinfection technology (chamber) was developed, and its efficacy in instant decontamination of previously contaminated surfaces was evaluated in two exposure times. Seven test microorganisms were prepared and inoculated on the surface of seven types of PPE (respirator mask, face shield, shoe, glove, cap, safety glasses and lab coat). The tests were performed on previously contaminated PPE using a manikin with a motion device for exposure to the chamber with biocidal agent (sodium hypochlorite) for 10 and 30s. In 96.93% of the experimental conditions analyzed, the percentage reduction was >99% (the number of viable cells found on the surface ranged from 4.3x106 to <10 CFU/mL). The samples of E. faecalis collected from the glove showed the lowest percentages reduction, with 86.000 and 86.500% for exposure times of 10 and 30 s, respectively. The log10 reduction values varied between 0.85 log10 (E. faecalis at 30 s in glove surface) and 9.69 log10 (E. coli at 10 and 30 s in lab coat surface). In general, E. coli, S. aureus, C. freundii, P. mirabilis, C. albicans and C. parapsilosis showed susceptibility to the biocidal agent under the tested conditions, with >99% reduction after 10 and 30s, while E. faecalis and P. aeruginosa showed a lower susceptibility. The 30s exposure time was more effective for the inactivation of the tested microorganisms. The results show that the spray disinfection technology has the potential for instant decontamination of PPE, which can contribute to an additional barrier for infection control of healthcare workers in the hospital environment.

Lean Rig-Less and Explosiveness Abandoning in Morocco

A 5-well rig-less & explosiveness abandonment campaign by 2 project partners operator and service provider was made a reality in Morocco whereby a novel method of cementing squeeze of perforations and an annular fill-up were established in one single operation. This is called LEAN abandonment and the method was masterminded as a result of intense collaboration between both partners. The method is scale-able and has full merit to target existing legacy wells for abandonment in Morocco and world-wide where appropriate. In this LEAN approach the tubing and annulus were communicating via SSD / non-explosive created tubing punch by holding backpressure on the annulus till perforations squeezed or pressure lock-up and subsequently immediately opening the annulus and releasing the annular pressure whilst continuing pumping and filling the annulus with some 800 m of cement creating the firm additional barrier. Clinical planning by operator and service provider on a establishing a new abandonment process that is opening-up further in-country and beyond opportunities was the critical success factors in this work. It led to organic improvement on a well by well basis in the campaign, it resulted in safe and successful operations and achieving abandonment objectives cementing to surface in tubing and annulus. LEAN Abandonment forms a paradigm shift. It may be different in different down-hole settings and there is no single solution however like in our case working a bottoms-up approach has resulted the lowest cost solution and having done so ways to improve overall safety and efficiency were identified. The use of non-explosive technology is a very good example.

Consent in Critical Care Research

Informed consent plays an important role in critical care medicine (CCM) because patients are vulnerable so their rights must be carefully protected, and research in CCM may be associated with high risks of morbidity and mortality. However, the process of obtaining consent may be a significant barrier to CCM research. There is often limited time in which to make decisions, patients or substitute decision makers may not be able to make those decisions, and complex consent documents may be an additional barrier. This is an important issue, both because vulnerable patients should not be denied access to the benefits of research and because the loss of eligible patients from CCM clinical trials due to lack of consent could introduce bias and limit the generalizability of research. This article will explore why getting consent is challenging in CCM research, and how this can process could be improved.

Use of an antiviral mouthwash as an additional barrier measure in the SARS-CoV-2 transmission in adults with asymptomatic to mild COVID-19: A multicenter, randomized, double-blind controlled trial

Background The research hypothesis is that commercially available mouthwash with ß-cyclodextrin and citrox (bioflavonoids) could decrease the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) salivary viral load in adults with asymptomatic to mild COVID-19. Methods In this RCT, SARS-CoV-2 PCR-positive patients aged 18-85 years with asymptomatic to mild COVID-19 symptoms <8 days were recruited. A total of 154 eligible patients were randomly assigned (1:1) to antiviral ß-cyclodextrin and citrox mouthwash (CDCM) or placebo. Three rinses daily were performed for 7 days. Saliva sampling was performed on day 1 at 9 a.m. (T1), 1 p.m. (T2) and 6 p.m. (T3). On the following 6 days, one sample was taken at 3 p.m. Quantitative RT-PCR was used to detect SARS-CoV-2. The trial is registered at ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT04349592). Findings CDCM was significantly more effective than placebo 4 hours after the first intake (p<0·001), with a median percentage decrease T1-T2 of -14·25% [95% CI; -32·68% - 0·06%]. In patients with an initial salivary load > 2·95 log10 copies/mL, there was a significant difference in the reduction in viral load at T2. Over the course of one day, the first mouthwash rinse significantly reduced the viral load, and the second dose maintained this low value, compared to placebo. At day 7, there was still a greater decrease in salivary viral load over time in the CDCM group. In individuals with an initial viral SARS-CoV-2 load higher than 4·12 log10 copies/mL or 5·16 log10 copies/mL, CDCM reduced the salivary viral load more quickly than placebo (MLM p-value = 0·03; 0·029). Interpretation This trial supports the relevance of using mouthwash with ß-cyclodextrin and citrox as an additional barrier measure on day 1 to reduce the dissemination of SARS-CoV-2. Over 7 days, the use of this mouthwash showed a benefit of viral load reduction for patients with the highest initial loads.

Application of a Modified Endoscopy Face Mask for Flexible Laryngoscopy During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Diagnostic flexible laryngoscopy (DFL) is a critical tool in the armamentarium of an otolaryngologist. However, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, DFL represents a high-risk procedure for patients and otolaryngologists due to the risk of aerosolization. In cases where DFL is required, in patients with COVID-19 positivity or unknown COVID-19 status, we describe the use of a modified endoscopy face mask as an adjunct to personal protection equipment to reduce occupational transmission of COVID-19 while performing DFL. Our modified endoscopy mask provides an additional barrier against the transmission of airborne pathogens. The modified endoscopy face mask may also serve as a useful tool for otolaryngologists as they return to performing more aerosol-generating procedures in the outpatient setting.